BASICS FOR HANDLING FOOD SAFELY

 Shopping.
 Storage.
 Preparation.
 Thawing.
 Cooking.
 Serving.
 Leftovers.
 Refreezing.
 Cold Storage Chart.

Safe steps in food handling, cooking, and storage are essential to prevent foodborne
illness. You can't see, smell, or taste harmful bacteria that may cause illness. In
every step of food preparation, follow the four steps of the Food Safe Families
campaign to keep food safe:
 Clean — Wash hands and surfaces often.
 Separate — Don't cross-contaminate.
 Cook — Cook to the right temperature.
 Chill — Refrigerate promptly.

Shopping
 Purchase refrigerated or frozen items after selecting your non-perishables.
 Never choose meat or poultry in packaging that is torn or leaking.
 Do not buy food past "Sell-By," "Use-By," or other expiration dates.

Storage
 Always refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours—1 hour when the
temperature is above 90 °F (32.2 ºC).
 Check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer with an appliance
thermometer. The refrigerator should be at 40 °F (4.4 ºC) or below and the
freezer at 0 °F (-17.7 ºC) or below.
 Cook or freeze fresh poultry, fish, ground meats, and variety meats within 2
days; other beef, veal, lamb, or pork, within 3 to 5 days.
 Perishable food such as meat and poultry should be wrapped securely to
maintain quality and to prevent meat juices from getting onto other food.
 To maintain quality when freezing meat and poultry in its original package,
wrap the package again with foil or plastic wrap that is recommended for the
freezer.
 Canned foods are safe indefinitely as long as they are not exposed to freezing
temperatures, or temperatures above 90 °F. If the cans look ok, they are safe
to use. Discard cans that are dented, rusted, or swollen. High-acid canned
food (tomatoes, fruits) will keep their best quality for 12 to 18 months; low-acid
canned food (meats, vegetables) for 2 to 5 years.

Preparation
 Always wash hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and
after handling food.
  Don't cross-contaminate. Keep raw meat, poultry, fish, and their juices away
from other food. After cutting raw meats, wash cutting board, utensils, and
countertops with hot, soapy water.
 Cutting boards, utensils, and countertops can be sanitized by using a solution
of 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of water.
 Marinate meat and poultry in a covered dish in the refrigerator.

Thawing
 Refrigerator: The refrigerator allows slow, safe thawing. Make sure thawing
meat and poultry juices do not drip onto other food.
 Cold Water: For faster thawing, place food in a leak-proof plastic bag.
Submerge in cold tap water. Change the water every 30 minutes. Cook
immediately after thawing.
 Microwave: Cook meat and poultry immediately after microwave thawing.

Cooking
Cook all raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum
internal temperature of 145 °F (62.8 ºC) as measured with a food thermometer
before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to
rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming. For reasons of personal
preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures.

Ground meats: Cook all raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal to an internal
temperature of 160 °F (71.1 ºC) as measured with a food thermometer.

Poultry: Cook all poultry to an internal temperature of 165 °F (73.9 °C) as measured
with a food thermometer.

Serving
 Hot food should be held at 140 °F (60 °C) or warmer.
 Cold food should be held at 40 °F (4.4 ºC) or colder.
 When serving food at a buffet, keep food hot with chafing dishes, slow
cookers, and warming trays. Keep food cold by nesting dishes in bowls of ice
or use small serving trays and replace them often.
 Perishable food should not be left out more than 2 hours at room temperature
—1 hour when the temperature is above 90 °F (32.2 ºC).

Leftovers
 Discard any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours—1 hour if
the temperature was above 90 °F (32.2 ºC).
 Place food into shallow containers and immediately put in the refrigerator or
freezer for rapid cooling.
 Use cooked leftovers within 4 days.
 Reheat leftovers to 165 °F (73.9 °C).

Refreezing
Meat and poultry defrosted in the refrigerator may be refrozen before or after
cooking. If thawed by other methods, cook before refreezing.
Cold Storage Chart
These short, but safe, time limits will help keep refrigerated food from spoiling or becoming
dangerous to eat. Because freezing keeps food safe indefinitely, recommended storage times are for
quality only.

Cold Storage Chart

Refrigerator Freezer
Product
40 °F (4.4 ºC) 0 °F (-17.7 ºC)
Eggs
Fresh, in shell 3 to 5 weeks Do not freeze
Raw yolks & whites 2 to 4 days 1 year
Hard cooked 1 week Does not freeze well
Liquid pasteurized eggs, egg substitutes
Opened 3 days Does not freeze well
Unopened 10 days 1 year
Mayonnaise, Commercial

2 months Do not freeze

Refrigerate after opening
Frozen Dinners & Entrees
Keep frozen until ready to heat — 3 to 4 months
Deli & Vacuum-Packed Products
Store-prepared (or homemade) egg, chicken,
3 to 5 days Does not freeze well
ham, tuna, & macaroni salads
Hot dogs & Luncheon Meats
Hot dogs
Opened package 1 week 1 to 2 months
Unopened package 2 weeks 1 to 2 months
Luncheon meat
Opened package 3 to 5 days 1 to 2 months
Unopened package 2 weeks 1 to 2 months
Bacon & Sausage
Bacon 7 days 1 month
Sausage, raw — from chicken, turkey, pork,
1 to 2 days 1 to 2 months
beef
Smoked breakfast links, patties 7 days 1 to 2 months
Hard sausage — pepperoni, jerky sticks 2 to 3 weeks 1 to 2 months
Summer sausage labelled "Keep Refrigerated"
Opened 3 weeks 1 to 2 months
Unopened 3 months 1 to 2 months
Corned Beef
Corned beef, in pouch with pickling juices 5 to 7 days Drained, 1 month
Ham, canned labelled "Keep Refrigerated"
Opened 3 to 5 days 1 to 2 months
Unopened 6 to 9 months Do not freeze
Ham, fully cooked
Vacuum sealed at plant, undated, unopened 2 weeks 1 to 2 months
"Use-By" date
Vacuum sealed at plant, dated, unopened 1 to 2 months
on package
Whole 7 days 1 to 2 months
Half 3 to 5 days 1 to 2 months
Slices 3 to 4 days 1 to 2 months
Hamburger, Ground & Stew Meat
Hamburger & stew meat 1 to 2 days 3 to 4 months
Ground turkey, veal, pork, lamb, & mixtures
1 to 2 days 3 to 4 months
of them
Fresh Beef, Veal, Lamb, Pork
Steaks 3 to 5 days 6 to 12 months
Chops 3 to 5 days 4 to 6 months
Roasts 3 to 5 days 4 to 12 months
Variety meats — tongue, liver, heart,
1 to 2 days 3 to 4 months
kidneys, chitterlings
Pre-stuffed, uncooked pork chops, lamb
chops, or chicken breasts stuffed with 1 day Does not freeze well
dressing
Soups & Stews
3 to 4 days 2 to 3 months
Vegetable or meat added
Fresh Poultry
Chicken or turkey, whole 1 to 2 days 1 year
Chicken or turkey, pieces 1 to 2 days 9 months
Giblets 1 to 2 days 3 to 4 months
Cooked Meat and Poultry Leftovers
Cooked meat & meat casseroles 3 to 4 days 2 to 3 months
Gravy & meat broth 3 to 4 days 2 to 3 months
Fried chicken 3 to 4 days 4 months
Cooked poultry casseroles 3 to 4 days 4 to 6 months
Poultry pieces, plain 3 to 4 days 4 months
Poultry pieces in broth, gravy 3 to 4 days 6 months
Chicken nuggets, patties 3 to 4 days 1 to 3 months
Other Cooked Leftovers
Pizza, cooked 3 to 4 days 1 to 2 months
Stuffing, cooked 3 to 4 days 1 month

Last Modified Mar 24, 2015